


The 5th Element

by DeerlyQueery



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: AU, M/M, May get abandoned?? ADHD is a bitch., Tags and Ratings may change, Who needs logic?, just for fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29460858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeerlyQueery/pseuds/DeerlyQueery
Summary: This story is p much a shitpost. I'm writing this for fun with only some regard to logic. This is just a fun story for myself just because it sounded like a fun idea. Some characters are likely to be slightly OOC.I'll write a better description later. Basically; Everyone is aged up to at least 18, OC is Avatar, OC can bend Dragon Element, Avatar state is different, Monsters show up, stuff does have explanations and OC is not actually OP, accidental OC/Sokka that ended up becoming a thing as I wrote the outline.
Relationships: Implied Katara/Suki, OC/Sokka, Usual Sokka/Yue
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1: Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited the end of this first chapter to add a bit more action and to keep the 2nd chapter from being way too long and heavy. 2nd chapter in the works!

Cold. Floating. Darkness. The soft sound of crashing waves, muffed, as though the water thundered far away. How long had he been like this? It felt like he'd only been asleep a short while. His head hurt, throbbed as though he'd been bashed by a rock. Movement. The sound of rushing water, a cracking like thunder reaching his ears. Wherever he was. A light shone through his eyelids. Muffled voices. Where was he? His body felt strange, different, not his own. His eyes opened, met with a thick wall of gleaming ice. Through the foggy sheet he could see shapes. Shadows moving. Two. Their voices seemed urgent, scared, worried. Were they lost as well? Itching. Restless. He needed to move, needed to get out of this ice. His thoughts were messy. Scattered. Crashing like the waves outside his prison. Later. Get out, then untangle the mess of his mind. He moved. The ice cracked, the bright light of the sun leaked in through the cracks. Blinding. Refreshing. Freedom. He spread his wings - wings? Did he always have those? The ice shattered, the sun hit him, everything went dark again.

With a groan Chen sat up, rubbing his aching head. A relieved sigh made him open his eyes, meeting the concerned gaze of a brunette woman who smiled. He tilted his head slightly and looked around in confusion, finding the only things around to be the ocean and ice. "Where am I-?" He asked, looking back to the girl as he stood and stretched on nearly numb legs. Before she could answer though, Chen was met with the tip of a spear pointed at his face and a very angry and wary guy glaring at him.

"I think the better question is, who are you?" He demanded, behind him the girl rolling her eyes.

Chen pushed the spear out of his face with an annoyed huff, meeting the taller man's glare with one of his own. "My name's Chen and I'm just a _little_ confused right now so I'd appreciate it if you didn't shove weapons in my face." The man's retort was cut off as the woman shoved him aside, arms crossing and giving off an air of authority that didn't seem to phase her friend.

"Sokka, calm down. You can question him all you want once we're off a floating piece of ice that's heading farther from the shore as we speak." At that both Chen and Sokka, it was, looked to the broken pieces of ice around them and the vast expanse of ice and snow that they were slowly but surely drifting away from. "Now let's get off of here before we have to swim!" At her annoyed tone the two boys relented, the three of them carefully jumped from ice piece to ice piece - Chen almost falling into the water many times - until they were safely on solid land. Or, as land as a frozen expanse of sea ice could be.

Chen looked around again before looking to the duo again. "So, now that we're not drifting out to sea, can I get some idea of where I am and who you guys are-?" He asked and the girl spoke up before her friend could say a word.

"I'm Katara! This grumpy guy is my brother, Sokka." Said grumpy guy cut in with a huff.

"Alright, alright. Enough with the introductions. How did you end up frozen in a ball of ice? And why did it look like there was a dragon inside?" Sokka questioned and Chen tilted his head, mulling over the first question. He found he couldn't actually remember anything. It was like there was a gaping hole with only a few surviving fragments scattered around. Maybe he really did get bashed by a rock. 

"I... Don't actually know. I remember... A storm, lots of water, and then waking up here. No clue about that second question either." Chen answered with a shrug, rubbing the aching spot on his head as though that would bring back everything. "Pretty sure I hit my head. Feels like I was run over by a herd of rooster bulls."

"Well, if you hit it hard enough that would explain why you can't remember. If you give yourself time to rest and heal we might be able to help get some of those memories back!" Katara said with a smile while Sokka eyed Chen suspiciously and leaned over to whisper to Katara. By now Chen was starting to feel the cold of the arctic biting into him, and with each breath out came a puff of fog. It almost looked familiar. Maybe he'd been to one of the Poles before. 

His thoughts were cut off as Sokka gave a loud, defeated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, but if he turns out to be some Fire Nation spy don't say I didn't warn you!" With that Katara gave a victorious grin and looked to a confused Chen who stood waiting and shivering with arms crossed. 

"Come on, let's get you back to our village before you freeze again." She said, and with that led the way with Sokka glancing at Chen every so often. Chen, however, wasn't paying much attention. His eyes were caught by the sea, looking out across the glistening waves as the sun glared off of the pieces of ice riding the current. He could swear he saw some shape in the distance. A black smudge marring the blue horizon. He shook himself and focused ahead. He could worry about it once he was warm.

Unsurprisingly, Chen's arrival in the village was met with some worry, though with some convincing from Katara he was given warm clothes and a place to rest, at least for now. Chen sat against the wall of snow surrounding the village, looking around with head tilted at the strange place he'd found himself. Around him the villagers did their work, glancing over at his still figure every so often, more so out of curiosity than fear. He'd noticed that there was a strange lack of men, other than Sokka and some children, who stood not far off, Sokka telling them something about being warriors. One word in particular caught his ear though. War. That was a troubling thought, and it would explain the lack of men who must have been off fighting. Still, a war seems like something he'd have remembered, even if he'd been hit on the head. How long had he been gone? He blinked and shook himself as Sokka looked over at him with an eyebrow raised, realizing he'd been staring as he thought.

With a sigh Chen stood and stretched, really feeling the need to get up and move, muscles already feeling too stiff from sitting. He had a lot to try and figure out. Frozen in ice, memory loss, a war? At least the last one he could actually get answers to. With that he approached Sokka who was having troubles keeping the kids' attention as they got bored and restless. "Hey, Sokka, quick question..." The warrior crossed his arms and gave a cautious look. "So, I couldn't help but overhear something about a war going on?" At that Sokka's caution turned to surprise.

"Yes, the war. The war that's been going on for 100 years!" At Chen's confused look Sokka shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious- You actually don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Came Katara's voice as she came over, looking between the two curiously.

"How long was I frozen...?" Chen asked, mostly himself, as he rubbed his face with a groan. "Fuck, a war! For the past 100 years! That's not something I'd forget, even with head trauma!"

Katara lay a hand on his shoulder, concern evident in her voice even if Chen couldn't see her face. "For all you know you could have forgotten. Head trauma doesn't exactly pick and choose the memories it damages." After a moment Chen nodded and stood straight again, brushing short auburn hair out of his face with a small sigh.

"I hope you're right, otherwise I really missed a lot." He gave a thankful smile to Katara and looked over as Gran-Gran, a kind but spirited old woman who led the village, came over.

"Sokka! Take your new friend there and see if you can hunt down something for dinner. He could use the extra food." She said and disapprovingly pinched Chen's side, making him jump and almost squeak. The kids cheered at the chance to be free from training and Sokka was ready to protest but Katara cut in before he could say anything.

"Great idea, Gran-Gran! Until Chen can get a safe way back to the mainland you two'll have to get along anyways." She pointed out and Chen nodded.

"I'm happy to help out however I can!" 

Sokka rolled his eyes and grabbed his arm. "Alright, let's get this over with. But you listen to everything I say out here, alright? And I'll be keeping a close eye on you." The warrior said, dragging Chen along as they headed out of the village and towards a snowy outcrop in the distance, letting Chen's arm go as he led the way. Chen simply nodded and followed along, figuring it'd be best to listen to Sokka anyways since he had no clue what to expect out on the ice. "Do you know how to fight?" He asked, pausing and looking at Chen as they got to the base of the outcrop, shade cast by the sun covering them and making the air colder. At Chen's hesitant shrug Sokka facepalmed. "Great. Very useful."

Chen rolled his eyes and put a sassy hand on his hip. "I'm so terribly sorry that I have a gaping hole in my memory, I'd love to let you know for certain if I can fight but I can't be sure at this point. Now c'mon, I'll just be bait if anything." Sokka couldn't help a chuckle at that and watched Chen struggle to climb the slippery hill of packed snow and ice.

"Y'know, I think I like that plan." He said and climbed up alongside Chen, who stood paused at the top, looking out across the water.

"So, I may need your insight on this, but I don't think that looks too good." He said as Sokka got to the top, pointing to the distant shape on the horizon. The blob from earlier had come close enough to take shape, showing the massive imposing form of a ship, black smoke rising to meet the white clouds above and taint the blue sky a murky gray. He felt Sokka stiffen beside him and glanced over to see the anger and worry in his eyes.

"A Fire Nation ship. It'll be here soon, we need to go!" He said urgently and slid back down the slope, Chen quickly running after him.

"I'm guessing the Fire Nation is the one who caused this whole war-?" He asked as they ran and Sokka nodded, a dark look on his face. Around them, the snow was painted black as the ship approached.

By the time the two got back to the village the panic was evident, the youngest and oldest of the tribe being put in the safety of their tents. Katara, helping lead a few children and an elderly woman into the main tent, looked up as Chen and Sokka ran up. She let out a breath of relief. "Good, you're okay!"

Chen looked over to the wall that bordered the ocean, the black smoke from the approaching ship darkening the sky along with the snow around them. "So, how are our chances of fighting against these guys?"

"Do you want an honest answer or an optimistic answer?" Asked Sokka sarcastically and Chen rolled his eyes.

"Point taken. Guess we'll keep to the optimistic side. There's only one ship so i doubt it's a straight up attack but that leaves the question of what they're here for." Chen said, the three of them climbing to the top of the snow wall and watching the approaching ship. Floating ice was broken to pieces as its near-black metal hull cut through the water straight for the small village. "You mentioned there was some sort of beam that shot out when I was broken out of the ice, right? They must be here to investigate that!"

"Of course! I knew you were trouble!" Sokka said with a pointed glare to Chen who ignored him for the most part.

Katara perked up and stood. "I've got it! They're here for whatever caused the beam, right? Well, we can just tell them the person already left!"

Chen grinned and nodded. "Great idea! Let's just hope they buy it." He said and the trio quickly climbed down from the wall, Katara informing the village of their plan and both Sokka and Chen getting ready in case a fight did break out.

Chen watched Sokka put on his warpaint paint and tilted his head curiously. It seemed a bit excessive to him, dressing up for battle, but he had to admit in the end it looked pretty cool. Finally, Sokka stood and eyed Chen, scrutinizing him for any sign of betrayal, before he finally handed over a large knife for him to use. Surprised, Chen took the gleaming white blade, adorned with blue markings and a brown and blue grip at its base. It was bone of some kind, and he supposed out here that made sense.

Chen grinned and gave a 2-fingered salute. "Good luck, oh great warrior. Here's hoping it doesn't come down to a fight." He said and Sokka gave a short laugh before he ran off somewhere to hide for an ambush if needed.

Chen, on the other hand, slipped the knife into his waistband since he didn't have an actual sheath. If things went south and the soldiers attacked he'd have to use Plan B, and he didn't want to try Plan B. He slipped out of the village walls as the looming shadow of the ship swallowed the little heat from the air, the cracking of ice ringing through the air as the wall crumbled. Tension lay heavy as the front of the ship opened. A staircase lowered to the ground and from the ship stepped a handful of soldiers. At the few soldiers Chen let out a small breath of relief from his spot hidden behind the wall. Quietly, he crept towards the hull of the ship, careful of the crumbled ice floating alongside the hulking metal, and climbed what remained of the broken wall to get a look at what was happening.

To his disappointment things didn't look like they were going well. The impatient voice of the lead warrior was easy enough to hear, though what he was talking about just confused him. The soldier was talking about the Avatar, insisting that the beam had been them, and not believing Katara's insistence on the person already having left. Him? The Avatar? That seems like something he'd have known about by now. The Firebender seemed ready to just burn the place down at this point. It looked like he had no choice but to go with Plan B.

Before he could jump down and attack however, Sokka's yell rang out as he charged the lead soldier. Within moments he was disarmed and knocked away with ease, though the determined warrior landed on his feet and threw a boomerang at the Firebender. Though it initially missed, the soldier glaring at Sokka, it came back as boomerangs do and hit the Firebender in the back of the head, nearly knocking his helmet off.

Furious at being caught off guard and looking ready to kill, fire sparking to life in the man's hands, Chen finally initiated Plan B before Sokka got burned to a crisp. Grabbing a handful of snow and packing it tight, he chucked it at the soldier, pulling the attention away from Sokka who went to retrieve his club. He met the fiery eyes of the soldier and suppressed a shiver, an almost instinctual fight or flight sensation hitting him. He took a quick breath and pushed the feeling aside, arms crossing and standing straight. 

"The Avatar isn't here, buddy, but if you're craving a fight that bad I'm happy to oblige." He said, sliding down the remains of the snow wall and knocking down one of the other soldiers. He narrowly missed a fireball shot by another but they were swiftly dealt with after a solid hit in the head from Sokka's club as he came charging back in to help. With two incapacitated, the other two soldiers turned their attention to Sokka while the leader and Chen faced off, circling each other, sizing up their opponent. 

Finally, the soldier attacked, a quick blast of fire from his fist that was easily dodged with a sidestep from Chen who countered with a swift kick to his side. The soldier retaliated with a kick of his own, wreathed in fire, that Chen had to jump back to avoid. His body thrummed with adrenaline, his moves were swift and fluid, as though he'd done plenty of fighting before. It's not like he could remember. So, with that thought he let himself go, and running on instinct he attacked. Quick jabs and kicks countered by powerful swipes of flame which were in turn avoided with smooth dodges and weaves. Neither were able to land any solid hits until one fiery kick that caught Chen in the leg, making him stumble and leaving him open. With that, the soldier shot a powerful blast of fire from both hands, the brunt of the flames hitting Chen in the chest and throwing him back, leaving him on the ground in a pile of snow. 

Shadows swam at the edges of his vision. Pain shot through him every time he inhaled, burned skin crying out at the movement. His limbs ached, heavy with exhaustion. In the background he heard Sokka cursing and the sound of scuffling. Boots crunching on hard snow approached him. The voice was muffled, though the mocking tone of the lead soldier was clear enough. Annoyance shot through him. The pulse of adrenaline returned in full force. He felt something boiling, crackling, wanting to escape him. Something clicked in his brain and he chuckled, getting to shaky feet and meeting the surprised face of the soldier. He may die but he wouldn't be going down without a fight, and no way in Hell would he be mocked by this guy.

With a quick step forward he aimed a punch for the soldier's head but instead of the hit connecting in the physical sense he felt power flow through him, like boiling electrified water, and shot out a blast of Dragon element. The smoky black cloud crackled with red lightning, as though a crimson storm were contained in the black clouds, and though the soldier was able to avoid the hit the shock was obvious on his face. Chen didn't give him even a moment to process, instead attacking with renewed ferocity, each hit accompanied with a blast of Dragon that sent the soldier reeling back on the defense. With one last sweep of his legs he brought the soldier down and stood over him, ready in case he attacked again. The soldier blinked up at him, baffled by what had just happened, before his eyes narrowed and he glared, rolling out of the way and back to his feet.

Chen held himself back from attacking again. Their eyes met and after a moment the Firebender gave a small nod and turned, going back into his ship without another word. The other four soldiers quickly ran after him as the ramp began to rise and the ship closed. His legs felt like jelly. The adrenaline faded, leaving only the pain and exhaustion. There was a crunching of ice as the ship backed away to leave. He finally let out the breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding and promptly blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2: Plans?

Everything seemed hazy. His body ached all over and he couldn't get himself to focus on one thing. There were voices nearby, too quiet to make out. He forced his eyes opened and was met with the hide roof of one of the Tribe's tents. He blinked a few times, slowly sitting up and groaning at the strain on his body. He felt even worse than after he'd gotten out of that iceberg. Likely hearing him awake, the voices quieted and Katara came in, frowning as she found Chen sitting up.

"Lay back down! You need some serious rest! You're lucky that fire blast didn't kill you then and there." She scolded, pushing Chen back down and receiving an annoyed huff in return.

"I'll be fine, it's just a burn." Chen complained and Sokka was next to enter the tent.

"A burn that almost killed you and would have killed you if you weren't wearing that coat." He said, sitting by his sister on the ground next to Chen. "By the way, WHAT WAS ALL THAT BENDING?!"He followed up, earning a smack on the head from Katara.

"Sokka! I told you to let him rest before you get to 'interrogate' him!" Chen rolled his eyes at their bickering and looked down at the heavy wrap of bandaging covering his upper left chest, flinching as he thought about how much worse the damage could have been. He'd need to thank Gran-Gran for the coat when he could.

"It's called the Dragon Element." He spoke up, surprising the siblings into silence, and catching their curiosity. He looked up at them, sitting up against Katara's disapproving glare. "I'm not sure what it is or why I have it but it's always been a part of me."

"So... A fifth element?" Katara asked, wonder clear in her voice.

"Yeah, pretty much. Not too sure what element it really is though. 'Dragon' doesn't give a lot to go off of." Chen explained and Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know it was 'Dragon' in the first place?"

Chen tilted his head and shrugged. "It's just... Something I knew, I guess." He explained without much real explanation.

While Sokka looked a bit annoyed and very curious, Katara looked absolutely ecstatic. "Another bender! This is great! Maybe you could help me develop my Waterbending!" She exclaimed and Chen chuckled at the energy.

"I can't exactly Waterbend but I can try and help out? Your best bet for a real teacher would be the Northern Water Tribe though if there's nobody here to teach you, right?" He suggested and Katara frowned, Sokka speaking up.

"We haven't been in contact for a while now, not to mention that means she'd have to actually get there." Katara nodded in agreement.

"If only I could fly across the world." She said and they chuckled before falling silent, a tense and worried cloud hanging in the air. "The ship didn't leave." She finally said with a sigh and Chen frowned.

"It's just out there on the water, waiting. I'm guessing they want you, what with your crazy element going on." Sokka said and Chen sighed, laying back down.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have done that, but at least it kept them from burning the place down." He said and stifled a yawn, stretching and flinching as his wound was pulled.

Katara rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "Get some rest. I'll be back soon with some dinner and to check on that burn." She said, heading out of the tent and leaving Chen and Sokka alone.

Awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments before Sokka stood and paused before leaving. "Thanks. For helping protect my Tribe." He said before heading out, leaving Chen pleasantly surprised but aching with guilt. He still needed to get that ship out of here or all this would have been in vain anyways. Since he couldn't exactly fight like this he figured he only had one choice right now and settled down to wait for nightfall.

As the night came Chen grew more and more restless being forced to lay there and rest despite the very near danger that remained. Katara and Gran-Gran brought him dinner - a very strange bitter stew that he endured eating - and changed his bandages, despite his complaints and insistence that he could do it himself. After a short talk the two left him to sleep, however, he did quite the opposite. After waiting long enough to make sure they'd left, Chen got to his feet and flinched as the burn was agitated at the movement. Determinedly he pushed the pain to the back of his mind and shook the exhaustion from his limbs, quietly poking his head out of the tent and looking around.

The village was silent, the only light cast by the moon and the few tents with fires still lit. The coast was clear. Trying to step as quiet as he could, Chen made his way out of the village and outside of the still-broken wall that surrounded it, grabbing an oar for one of the many kayaks by the water on his way. Some of the snow had been moved and it looked like repairs had already begun. On top of the wall he noticed the silhouette of what looked to be Sokka, watching the ship that loomed in the distance. This would complicate things a bit. With a huff Chen continued on his way, making sure to avoid Sokka's line of sight as he walked next to the water, some of the weaker spots of ice letting out worrying groans when he stepped on them though as he went, to his relief, he didn't go plunging into the frozen sea. Finally, Chen stopped on a small ice outcrop, nearly already broken off into the sea. This would do nicely. 

Pulling the knife from his belt Chen hacked away at the thinner spots of ice, breaking it off from the rest and floating off on the water. Since he didn't want to take a kayak from them this was the best alternative, plus with Sokka watching the waters that would make a kayaking trip too easy to get caught. Using the paddle and trying to keep it quiet, Chen made his way over towards the ship, keeping as low as he could and hoping it was too dark to be seen as he approached. It was at this point that something really clicked in his head. He didn't have a plan. Letting out a muttered curse, Chen combed a hand through his hair. Guess he'd wing it. Find a way into the engine room and take out the ship. He'd figure out a backup plan later. 

Once he was close enough that he could touch the cold metal of the ship, Chen stood on weary legs and maneuvered the ice over to the anchor chain. With that, he left the paddle on the ice and got climbing. Every time he pulled himself higher up his burn throbbed with pain but he pushed on until he was able to grab the ledge and pull himself onto the ship's deck. Panting lightly and regretting this plan, Chen took a quick look around and found nobody on this part of the deck and a convenient hatch right in front of him. Perfect. Pulling out his knife just in case, Chen made his way over and into the ship. 

Now in dangerous territory, adrenaline chased away any lingering exhaustion and pain as he soundlessly made his way deeper into the ship. Keeping to the shadows, he was able to avoid the few guards he came across, though they looked tired enough that he probably could have strolled right by them and been ignored. On his way down another set of stairs, however, the sound of voices ahead made him freeze in his tracks. Quickly backtracking, he ducked into a darkened hallway as the people came into view. One was an older man, hair and beard gray with age, and beside him he recognized the soldier that he'd found earlier. Without all the armor he was rather lanky, his dark brown hair styled as a topknot with a ponytail and the scar across his left eye strikingly obvious against his lighter skin.

His agitation was clear in his stance and voice as he talked to the old man, fists clenched at his sides. "I'm telling you, Uncle! There's something up with that bender! He wasn't using one of the four elements." He insisted and Chen shivered in his hidden position, slightly regretting having shown off his weird bending to an enemy. It was pretty great seeing his shock though. The old man, his uncle it seemed, spoke in a calm and casual tone that greatly contrasted his nephew's aggressiveness, as though they were only talking about the weather.

"Prince Zuko, a fifth element is unheard of. Are you sure that it wasn't an alternative bending style, like lightning bending?" Chen stiffened and bit his lip. Prince? This guy was a _Prince_? What was he doing all the way out here looking for the Avatar-? 

They passed by Chen hiding as they talked and eventually separated to go their own ways, more than likely to sleep. With a relieved breath, Chen got back on track and headed back down the stairs, slipping his knife into his waistband. If he could damage the ship enough they'd be forced to head back to wherever they came from for repairs and by then he'd be gone and the tribe would be safe. He was the reason they were in trouble in the first place, after all. It's the least he could do. 

Ahead, the air began to get hotter, stifling, making Chen really wish for the freezing cold air of the arctic again. One of the doors hung open, bright yellow light pouring into the hall, flickering with oranges and reds. That had to be it. Nobody was outside the door so Chen took the opportunity to peek his head in. He almost instantly regretted it. A wave of dizzying heat hit him from the coal-powered engines and almost made him give up this plan right then and there. By the end of this he'd have a lot more burns to account for.

Shaking himself, Chen pushed on and into the suffocating heat of the room. Thankfully he didn't see anyone yet and hoped whoever was working here had gone off for a break. These hoped were dashed, however, as a shout rang out from behind him. Turning on his heels, Chen was met by a very angry-looking engineer wielding a wrench the size of half his arm. Not a great matchup, especially when Chen was already still freshly wounded. Maybe he could charm his way out of this situation. It was worth a shot. His clothes weren't obviously water tribe and the fire helped mask the colors.

Offering his most dazzling smile, Chen gave a wave. "Hey there! Sorry, just was out for a walk and couldn't help but notice you weren't in here. I got worried something bad had happened to you!" The confused look the engineer gave made Chen hopeful. It was better than angry.

"You don't look like a soldier, kid. You work in the kitchen?" He questioned, eyeing the bandaging suspiciously and Chen nodded quickly.

"Oh, yeah! Burned myself good and on break to recover, but I'm usually so busy, never get out much, y'know?" He laughed nervously but the engineer laughed along, slapping him on the back hard, making him stumble and his burn pain flare up.

"I hear ya there! Prince Zuko's got us working our asses off lately. Speaking of, I gotta get back to it. Hope to see ya around!" He said with a wink and headed off into the room. 

Chen quickly left, letting out a relieved sigh and inching the bridge of his nose. Well, at least he wasn't caught, but now he needed a new plan. Then it came to him. The engineer thought he was Fire Nation. Who's to say the others wouldn't think the same? As long as he could get an outfit he could blend right in and just stroll around as long as he could come up with an excuse. With renewed vigor and a grin, Chen quickly headed back to the upper floor of the ship where all the rooms had been, dipping around any of the guards he'd passed before. Finally he came to a stop in the hall and pressed an ear to one of the doors. Hearing nothing, he quietly opened it, but when he went in he was met with a sight that made his heart sink and worry spike. I the candle-lit room sitting at a pai sho table was the Prince's uncle, sipping some tea. His plans really weren't working out.

At the intrusion the man looked up, surprise obvious at the stranger sneaking into his room, but the surprise was broken quickly as he smiled kindly. Chen was baffled to say the least.

"Care to share a cup of tea with me? I'm afraid I may not be able to finish it all myself and I couldn't bare to waste it." He offered, as calm as before when talking to his nephew, not even a hint of hostility showing. Chen hesitated, wary of a trap. Seeing this, the man chuckled and refilled his cup of tea. "I won't bite. I'm actually quite curious about what my nephew saw when he battled you." There it was. Zuko must have told his uncle all about him. He couldn't weasel his way out of this one and he doubted he could fight his way out of it either if it came down to it. 

With a roll of his eyes and a grumble Chen joined the man at his table and accepted the cup of tea. Its sweet herbal smell almost made him relax. Almost. He figured he could at least keep it vague or convince him that the Prince was crazy. That would be the best outcome. With an expectant look from the man he finally spoke.

"I'm not sure what he said he saw but it wasn't exactly anything spectacular. I can't bend so it was fire against fists for the most part." The skeptical look from the old man dashed his hopes of going that route and he sipped his tea, figuring he's already caught at this point and he doubted he'd be allowed to just run out. At least with his bending he doubted they'd kill him. 

"Can't bend, you say? My nephew told me different, and the soldiers that were with him saw it too. Apparently, it was unlike any of the other four elements. I wonder then, if there may be a fifth element?" He asked, raising a brow at Chen who bit back a sigh. Even then, however, there was no sign of anything malicious from the man. Just curiosity.

He figured a big of vague talking wouldn't hurt but before he could say a thing the door to the room was opened. Chen stiffened and looked over to see a very surprised and very angry Zuko. Apparently he'd done something to earn some bad karma. That or his good ideas were actually terrible.

The Firebender was immediately in an attack position, golden eyes sharp. "How did you get on my ship?" He demanded. Chen rolled his eyes at the instant hostility. He was just vibing with an old man and some tea. Speaking of, he held out his cup of tea in offering to the fiery prince.

"Care to join us? I'm sure you're plenty curious about what happened in that fight." Zuko's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he lowered his arms to his sides. 

"Why would you tell us anything willingly?" He asked, skeptical of the calm compliance shown so far.

Chen shrugged and finished off his cup of tea, setting it aside. "I planned on sinking the ship but my plans haven't been going too well lately. My latest and greatest idea is giving myself up as long as you leave this place alone." He said, arms crossed, surprising both Zuko and his uncle, though after a moment the former nodded.

"Uncle, wake everyone and get this ship moving. We'll head to dock at the Southwest Coast of the Earth Kingdom to resupply. And you." He looked pointedly at Chen, making him suppress a shiver. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."


End file.
